CA Wastewater plant looks to Algae/Biogas to cut energy costs
A California wastewater treatment plant is looking to biogas and algae to help cut down on the costs of a $15 million unfunded mandate recently imposed that requires the installation of a new ultraviolet light system. The biogas and algae will be used to produce electricity help cut down on the costs of their annual $800,000 energy bill.
The plan he’s now proposing involves using the plant’s existing infrastructure and high-strength waste streams, which naturally produce biogas. Those gases can be captured in a fuel cell system, combusted and the energy captured to generate electricity.
There are two main concerns VVWRA still needs to address to move the plan forward: resolving some issues with the county tax assessor and securing a reliable source of high-strength waste to produce the needed biogases. And that last point is where pond scum comes into play.
VVWRA has been working with Dr. Patrick Hatcher of Old Dominion University in Virginia for some time on a plan to grow particular strains of algae on the plant’s percolation ponds. The algae feeds off of leftover nitrates and phosphorus, helping remove these contaminants from the waste stream. But it also boosts biogas production and can be converted into fuel.
This is the second wastewater plant in the past month that has announced looking into algae as a way to cut down costs, with the first one being a Virginia treatment plant announcing a partnership with Algae Wheel.
